Method of corrugating sheet metal



Nov. 1, 1932. R. R. ROBERTSON I 1,835,294

METHOD OF CORRUGATING SHEET METAL Filed May 15, 1931 Patented Nov. 1,1932 omen STATES ROBERT B. ROBERTSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS METHODCOBRUGA TING Application filed Kay 13,

der to reduce the' cost of concrete road con-' struction work and alsoreduce the amount of sheet metal required for the formation of centerstrips and similar devices, this in vention has been devised for thepurpose of providing an improved and simplified method ofcross-corrugating thin sheet metal to produce a stifiened and reinforcedsheet metal having the strength of sheet metal of greater thickness andweight.

It is an object of this invention to provide a sheet metal material ofcomparatively light weight and thickness having crossed corruga= tionsto strengthen the sheet metal to compare with the strength of sheetmetal of greater thickness and weight.

It is also an object of this invention to provide an improved method ofstrengthening thin sheet metal by first diagonally corrugating the sheetmetal and then turning the same bottom side up and providing the sheetmetal with a series of diagonal secondary corrugations crossing anddeforming the first group of corrugations.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved methodfor strengthening and reinforcing thin sheet metal, said methodconsisting of feeding a sheet of thin sheet metal at an angle betweencorrugating rolls to diagonally corrugate the material and thenreversing the material by turning same upside down and again passing thesame at an angle between the corrugating rolls to cross-corrugate thecorrugated sheet.

1931. Serial No. 587,028.

It is an importantobject of this invention to provide an improvedreinforced sheet metal adaptable for use in making road center stripsand for other constructions requiring sheet metal, the improvedreinforced 59 sheet metal being formed with groups of diagonallypositioned cross-corru ations formed by first passing a thin sheet 0metal at an angle through corrugatingor forming means and then turningover the partly cor- B6 rugated sheet and again passing the same at anangle through the corrugated means to provide a second group ofdiagonally postioned corrugations crossing the first group ofcorrugations.

Other and further important objects of this invention will be apparentfrom the disclosures in the specification and the accompany ing drawing.v V The invention (in a preferred form) is as illustrated in the drawingand hereinafter more fully described.

On the drawir?:

Figure 1 is a ragmentary top plan view of a cross-corrugated sheet metalembodying 'm the principles of this invention; 7

Figure 2 is a detail sectional view of the material taken on line 11-11of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary planview of a piece of the sheet metalillustrating a few of the primary diagonal corrugations to illustratethe first step in the crimping operation;

Figure 4: is a fragmentary top plan view of the piece of materialillustrating the first group of diagonal corrugations and a few of thesecondary cross-corrugations produced by the second corrugatingoperation of the .method; and a Figure 5 is an end view of a concreteroad center strip formed of the cross-corrugated sheet-metal. i

As shown on the drawing:

" The present invention relates to an im- 90 roved sheet of non-annealedmetal or, if desired, malleable or annealed metal.

The improved sheet metal is adapted to be cross-corrugated or ribbed bya simple method whereby the sheet of metal may be made out ofcomparatively thin material which,

when cross-corrugated by the improved metha required 0 selected anglethrough a crimping or forming machine or between corrugatin rolls tocause the sheet 1 to be formed with a series or plurality of paralleldiagonal ribs or primary corrugations 2. After the sheet has been formedwith the primary or main corrugations or ribs2, the sheet is reversed orturned bottom side up and is again positioned at the selected angle tobe fed through the forming or'corrugating machine to cause the metalsheet to be formed with a plurality of parallel diagonal auxiliary or.secondary corrugations or ribs 3. ll'he auxiliary or secondary corruations cross the main or primary corrugatlons partially deforming thesame so that the cross-corrugations or ribs reinforce or strengthen oneanother to produce a metal sheet of increased strength and stifiness. v

It has been found that by cross-corrugating a plurality of sheets ofnon-annealed metal of substantially the same size that said sheetsafterbeing crimped or cross-corrugated by the im roved method areall ofsubstantially uni orm size while when sheets of an nealed' metal ofsubstantially the same size are cross-corrugated, the resultantcorrugated.

sheets may vary in size or length.

The improved method thus permits the cross-corrugated sheet ofnon-annealed metal to be produced out of metal which is less expensivethan annealed sheet metal and which when cross-corrugated will producesubstantially uniformly sized corrugated sheets from stock sheets outuniform size, while when annealed sheet metal is used, the cost isgreater and the resultant cross-corrugated products are not always ofuniform size or length even when produced from stock sheets of uniformslze It has been found that the improved crosscorrugated. sheets whichmay be constructed 'of non-annealed or hardened sheet metal will producea reinforced or strengthened metal sheet of less weight and cost whencompared with plain sheet metal of greater weight and thickness andhigher cost.

The cross-corrugated sheet of thin metal produces a stiffened andreinforced sheet ess and weight.-

wherein the cross-ribs or corrugations produce integrally connectedsubstantially diamond-shaped sections or units having high or apexportions 4 where the high portions of the cross-corrugations 2 and 3intersect one another and with depressed portions or hollows 5 betweenthe high or apex portions 4 substantially as illustrated in Figure 1.Where the high portions ofthe primary corrugations 2 cross the lowportions formed between the secondary corrugations 3 and where the highportions of the corrugations 3 cross the depressions between the primarycorrugations 2, partially depressed sections 011; points 6 are producedin the corrugated s eet.

Figure 5 of the drawing illustrates an end view of a concrete roadcenter strip which is formed of the cross-corrugated sheet metalembodying the principles-of this invention, whereby the cost of the roadconstruction work may be materially reduced due to the fact thatcomparatively thin-or light weight sheet metal can be used with saidsheet metal being of non-annealedmetal which is cheaper than theannealed sheet metal ordinarily used The center strip shown in Figure 5comprises a straight upper section 7 and a straight lower section 8joined by an intermediate V-shaped. section 9. lntegrally formed atsubstantially right angles to the lower mar in or edge of the lowersection 8 is a base ange 10.

It will, of course, be understood that various details of constructionmay be varied through a wide range without departing from the principlesof this invention, and

not

it is, therefore, not the purpose to limit the I patent sitated y thescope of the appended claims. I claim as my invention: 1 p l. The methodof reinforcing material,

comprising running the sheet material through a, former at an angle toproduce diagonal corrugations in the sheet material, and then turningthe sheet material upside down and again running the same at an anglethrough the former to produceauxiliary corrugations intersecting thefirst formed corru ations.

2. The met 0d of reinforcing. sheet metal which consists in applyingdiagonal pressure to the sheet metal to produce diagonal maincorrugations therein, and then turning th--. corrugated sheet metalupside down and again applying diagonal pressure thereto to producediagonal auxillary corrugations ranted hereon otherwise than necesltdressure to produce auxiliary corrugations lntersecting the first formedcorrugations.

4. The method of reinforcing nonannealed thin sheet metal, consisting inadvancing the same at an angle to subject the' same to diagonal ressureto form diagonal corrugations in t 1e sheet metal, and then turning overthe corrugated sheet metal and again advancing the same at an angle andrem peating the application of diagonal pressure to produce corrugationsintersecting and deforming the first formed corrugations.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name at Chicago, CookCounty,

Illinois.

ROBERT R. ROBERTSON.

